‘Glen Mervyn,’ a 1920s home on Coogee Bay Road now serves as a haven for young parents and their children with complex needs, under the management of the Australian Red Cross.
Glen Mervyn mansion was built in 1924 for Thomas Alfred Field who was a meat supplier and grazier. When the young Thomas and his family emigrated to Sydney in 1885, his father started a butchering business which he and brothers, Herbert and Sydney, eventually inherited in 1900.
With Thomas at the helm, the family business expanded, acquiring grazing properties and fortifying their wholesale and export business. By World War I, they had control over one-third of Sydney’s wholesale meat trade.
Apart from Glen Mervyn, Thomas’ other property investments include the 200,000-acre Willandra station and Willandra Merino Stud (1912 – 1932) – which he purchased with the Vickery family – and the Lanyon Homestead (1930 – 1971) located on the Murrumbidgee.
Glen Mervyn House and the Young Parents Program
In 1941, Field donated ‘Glen Mervyn’ to the Australian Red Cross on the condition that the residence would be used only for philanthropic or charitable purposes.
As such, in 1942, the Australian Red Cross converted the mansion into a convalescent home for ex-servicemen of World War II, before leasing the property out to Sydney Legacy to serve as a home for Legacy’s wards.
Photo credit: Australian Red Cross / redcross.org.au
In 1973, the Red Cross regained ownership of Glen Mervyn and established a Junior Red Cross Home there the following year. When its childcare centre closed down, the old mansion became home to the Australian Red Cross’ Young Parents Program. The program supports vulnerable young parents aged 13 to 18 and their children and provides them with residential accommodation and full support services.
The Young Parents Program also provides semi-supported housing accommodation and outreach as well as postnatal groups for parents under 25 years old.
The program provides access to therapeutic case management, parenting classes, educational and vocational opportunities, life skills groups and child development services and playgroups.
All of these are meant to help young mothers and fathers become independent and confident in fulfilling their role as parents.
Glen Mervyn House | 24 Coogee Bay Rd, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia
Visitors to the Coogee Pavilion Rooftop can now enjoy the deliciously juicy chicken and spicy margaritas ofJimmy’s Chickenwhilst enjoying the beachside view.
Jimmy’s Chicken is a sister venue of the popular Jimmy’s Falafel. At Jimmy’s Chicken, the star of the menu is (what else?) their chicken. Cooked over a charcoal barbeque, the whole harissa spiced chicken is served with toum, tabouli, pickles, sumac onions, Lebanese bread, fries.
If you love the OG wraps at Jimmy’s Falafel, you’ll be glad that you can order them here, along with their other famous dishes such as the hummus, Lebanese bread, falafel, and tabouli as well as condiments like toum (garlic dip) and harissa (Tunisian hot sauce).
Photo credit: Coogee Pavilion/Facebook
The venue at the Pav is a rooftop drinking den which draws similarity to Jimmy’s Falafel in George St. It features the same vibe and casual Middle Eastern cuisine one could find from the latter. The interiors are alsovery similar, with its striking bright-orange signage and tourism posters of ’60s Beirut.
Jimmy’s Chicken is headed by Chef Simon Zalloua. Although he was born in Australia, Chef Simon taps into his Lebanese culinary heritage through the Middle Eastern cuisine he serves at the restaurant. His biggest influence is his mother, who helped him in working on the falafel recipe for months.
Photo credit: Coogee Pavilion/Facebook
As with Jimmy’s Falafel, all the dishes are designed for sharing. In addition to the mezze, wraps, and share plates, they also have a banquet menu, available for groups of 10 and over.
Chef Simon Zalloua (Photo credit: Jimmy’s Falafel/Facebook)
Jimmy’s Chicken is open from Wednesday to Sunday from noon until late. For more information including trading hours and menu, click here.
As the property market goes from strength to strength, strong demand has fuelled an impressive Coogee median house price increase of 20 per cent, as downsizers, investors, interstate buyers, and young families flock to the eastern suburb for a taste of its beachside lifestyle.
Highlights
The property market rose by 19.97 per cent from October 2020 to September 2021, putting the Coogee median house price at $3,551,000.
Coogee’s median unit price also rose by 10.59 per cent, at $1,375,000 for the same period.
As one of the most expensive suburbs in Sydney, Coogee is a tough property market to enter, being a high-demand market for affluent investors.
House Price Growth
According to data from Property Market Updates, the house price growth in Coogee rose by 19.97 per cent from October 2020 to September 2021. This has led to the increase in the median house price at $3,551,000, up from $2,960,000 in the previous year.
Despite the lockdowns, properties in the Eastern Suburbs, including Coogee, have posted growths in the double-digits, as investors continue to flock to places that tick all their boxes. Buyer demand has been outstripping supply in tightly held Coogee, with only 64 houses sold during this period.
House listings spent an average of 28 days on market. Two-bedroom homes had the most buyers, especially from the young crowd who come from established families.
This suburb remains high up on the list of suburbs to invest in Sydney and with good reason. Coogee is one of the most expensive property markets to get into in Australia. Despite that, it’s still a high demand market, averaging 1,451 visits per property, per realestate.com.au
Unit Price Growth
Growth of the Coogee median unit price was tracked at 10.59 per cent from October 2020 to September 2021. The double-digit increase has placed the median unit price at $1,375,000, up from $1,227,500 in the previous period.
Unit stocks sold for this period reached 338, with half of the transactions for two-bedroom apartments. Unit listings stayed at an average of 29 days on market, with insiders saying there are still not enough stocks to meet demand.
Over the decades, heaps of Coogee apartments, especially those close to the beach, have been redeveloped to high-standard that appeals to investors with discerning taste and affluent backgrounds.
About Coogee
Vibrant Coogee, found in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs, is attractive to both locals and tourists alike. The name “Coogee” is from the Aboriginal word “koojah” which is translated to “the smell of seaweed drying.”
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Coogee became a town in the late 1830s and sealed its popularity as a go-to destination for beach escapades in Sydney in the early 1900s when the electric trams opened. Today, life in this resort town continues to revolve around Coogee Beach, as well as the ocean pools, McIver’s Baths and Wylie’s Baths. Further up north is Gordons Bay, a haven for avid snorkelers.
Houses in this beautiful beachside suburb are mostly apartment rebuilds and condominiums fitting or the lifestyle of the locals. Half of Coogee’s residents are between 20 to 40 years old, who also enjoy an active nightlife at heaps of pubs, bars, and cafes along the main shopping and dining strip on Coogee Bay Road.
However, further at the back and close to the neighbouring suburbs of Randwick and Clovelly are traditional beach houses and Victorian-era cottages, which are highly in demand for young and small families.
Coogee is also popular for landmarks like the Coogee Pavilion and the Coogee Bay Hotel, where numerous community events have taken place for decades.
“I know there are other places to live but I just could not see myself living anywhere else. When you live in a place like Coogee, you do not just have a home, you obtain a lifestyle. Parks, beaches, clubs and community are all in one location.”
Andrew
“I’ve died and gone to heaven. Close to the city, airport, shops, amazing restaurants and cafes, and the perfect BEACH!
Street Adviser
“What can I say about this place? Other than that, I fell in love with Australia and never want to live anywhere else again. Coogee is awesome in every way. Whilst Sydney does have a tendency to be a little on the pretentious side in general this most definitely does not apply to Coogee or ‘The Coog’ as I refer to it. If friendly locals, beautiful scenery, beautiful people, a relaxed vibe, whilst being close to the city and buzz is your thing, then this place is unbeatable.”
On 20 December 2021, Southern Cross announced that the submarine cable rollout has completed part of its final stages with the landing of Next Cable in Coogee Beach, Sydney. The US$350-million project will make its final branch landing in Fiji, completing the last phase of deployment in early January 2022.
One of the largest infrastructure projects in the world, the submarine cable connection will have the largest capacity to connect to the country, providing faster, secure, and more reliable connectivity between Australasia and the West Coast of the United States.
Being deployed by Alcatel Submarine Networks, SX NEXT cable is expected to deliver an additional bandwidth boost of 72 terabits, guaranteeing fast and reliable data connectivity to Australians. The average traffic in Australia is about 12 terabits per second.
To put that in perspective, that added capacity is the equivalent of downloading the entire US Library of Congress in less than 1.5 seconds or simultaneously streaming more than 4.5 million Ultra HD 4K videos.
The submarine cable network spans almost 16,000 km and connects Australia, New Zealand, and the United States via Fiji, Samoa, Tokelau, Kiribati.
The project began in 2017 starting with an undersea survey. Mapping the seafloor is an essential step to ensuring that the deployment will take the shortest route possible whilst avoiding potential hazards.
Since then, the project has completed connections with Hermosa Beach in California, Tokelau, and Kiribati, and then at Takapuna in New Zealand prior to landing in Coogee Beach.
When it is fully operational in Q2 of 2022, the cable will directly connect Sydney to Hermosa Beach, California, doubling the capacity of direct international connectivity from the East Coast of Australia to the West Coast of the United States.
Australia currently has 12 international submarine cable connections with the rest of the world. Southern Cross has three of those 12 cable connections, including the SX NEXT Project.
An adaptive re-use is an architectural approach that gives new life to old, historic, or sometimes abandoned structures.
The building was shortlisted alongside Cottage Medical, Berry (Nicholas Powell Architect) and The Sydney Retreat (Bronwyn Hanna). The winner for the category was Sub Base Platypus (Lahznimmo Architects), a community recreation and work hub in Neutral Bay.
Almost a Decade to Transform
Originally built in 1966 as a seven-level apartment site on the beachfront, the building’s distinctive brickwork had shown signs of disrepair and much-needed maintenance over the last five decades.
The team behind McGregor Westlake Architecture undertook the project to transform the building. From 2013 to 2020, they carefully revitalised the building and re-mortared all the bricks in place, a highly demanding endeavour given the building’s age.
Photo Credit: McGregor Westlake Architecture
The existing balconies across the 28 apartments have also been expanded and updated with a more modern design and angled form.
Also included in the repair was the construction of a new cafe and restaurant space with a panoramic view of the Goldstein Reserve and Coogee beach.
The carpark next to it, on other hand, was also updated and rid of its ugly metal fence.
Running since 1994, the National Trust awards program recognizes excellence across heritage conservations in many fields, including architecture and design.
“There are diverse range of projects and initiatives recognized this year, and they represent the full spectrum of heritage and role it plays in defining and enriching place, telling the stories of our diverse communities and connecting people,” National Trust Heritage Awards jury chair Matt Devine said.
Crowne Plaza in Coogee has been recognised for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence at the 2021 HM Awards. The award honours the best in the hospitality industry across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
James Wilkinson, the awards’ chief judge and founder, said that this year’s recognition was particularly meaningful amidst the “most challenging in history for the Australasian accommodation industry” due to the pandemic.
“I’m proud to say the entries this year – from chefs to housekeepers, five-star resorts and apartment hotels – were incredible and it was terrific to see so many staff and properties highlight so many achievements in challenging times,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“The quality of the winners and highly commended recipients – a full list can be found below – represents some of the industry’s finest and well done to everyone in 2021 across Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.”
Other hotels which shared the honour are Coral Sea Resort in Arlie Beach, Ovolo The Valley in Brisbane, and the Little National Hotel in Sydney.
Crowne Plaza in Coogee is currently under renovation and has completed Stage 2 of the project that involved the refurbishment of 209 rooms, the lobby, and the addition of meeting rooms and event spaces.
New General Manager
The win for Crowne Plaza in Coogee comes as the hotel welcomed its new General Manager, Melinda Lampier and new Director of Sales and Marketing, Benjamin Ferry.
Both executives boast of extensive experience in the hospitality industry as Ms Lampier had senior roles in IHG and Starwood’s group of hotels in NSW, Victoria, Vietnam and Thailand. Born in Bondi, the new boss said that she’s very passionate about Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
“I am a beach lover and this role which sees me return to my roots to help promote one of the most recognised seaside Sydney properties is a career favourite for me.”
Ferry, on the other hand, also worked with IHG in territories like Japan, the Middle East, and the South Pacific.
Celebrate the New Year with a bang! It’s all systems go for the return of Coogee Sparkles as Coogee gears up to bid farewell to 2021 with a spectacular display of fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
At exactly 9 pm on New Year’s eve, the skies over Coogee will light up with a dazzling 20-minute fireworks display that will be accompanied by roving entertainment and music to last from the afternoon all the way to the evening.
Photo credit: Randwick City Council / randwick.nsw.gov.au
Make sure that you come early to reserve your spot. The following locations offer fantastic vantage points of view:
Goldstein Reserve, Coogee
Coogee Beach
Grant Reserve & Trenerry Reserve
Clovelly Beach car park
Burrows Park headland
Local restaurants and hotels: many local establishments host excellent New Year’s Eve events within sight of the fireworks
Do take note that there will be a fenced fireworks exclusion zone on Dunningham Reserve headland. And since this event will happen with the Public Health Orders in effect, would-be attendees are advised to regularly check the Council’s social media or visit randwick.nsw.gov.au/sparkles for any updates prior to and on the day of the event.
Also, beginning midday, road closures and special event clearways will be enforced and the limited parking in the area could be easily filled-up, hence, going to the venue by walking, public transport or rideshare service is advised.
“We’re so pleased that we can offer people the chance to end a challenging year on such a high note,” Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said.
“This is one of Coogee’s signature outdoor events. People come from all around to witness the incredible display while soaking up the relaxing coastal atmosphere, so it truly is an honour for the Council to be able to provide this New Year’s event for locals and visitors alike.”
Check out livetraffic.com for real-time updates and save yourself the hassle of getting stuck in traffic.
Owner Jonathan Faro, who currently grows the brand as ‘Australia’s first brick-oven pizza’ opened the new venue along with another one in Newtown. One of the things worth knowing about Johnny Gio’s is that many of their recipes, from the pizza and pasta down to the sides, were inspired by Mr Faro’s mum.
Photo credit: Johnny Gio’s/Facebook
These include the marinara meatballs and chicken schnitzel that locals have come to love. Their eggplant parmigiana, another hit among customers, is a gluten-free treat served with eggplant, basil, mozzarella, and parmesan. If you still have room for dessert, you’ve also got to try their tiramisu.
As for the pizzas, popular options include El Diablo (pomodoro, spicy pepperoni, Parmesan, and chilli); Margherita (Pomodoro, mozzarella and basil); and The Irishman (caramelised onion, potato, spicy salami and gorgonzola).
Photo credit: Johnny Gio’s/Facebook
All Johnny Gio’s locations except for the one in Bondi Road which sticks to a static oven for cooking, use a brick oven sourced from Florence. It can cook the pizza in less than three minutes and the result is a delicious pizza with blistered crusts, minus the long wait.
Photo credit: Johnny Gio’s/Facebook
The Coogee location is also currently offering pre-batch cocktails or takeaway cocktails, with options such as Sal’s Spicy Margarita, Tommy two-time’s Margarita, Momo’s passion fruit blast, and Jimmy’s Florida vacation. Johnny Gio’s has teamed up with The Fermentalists to create a range of hot sauces that go perfectly with the pizzas.
Photo credit: Johnny Gio’s/Facebook
Johnny Gio’s Pizza in Coogee is open daily for both dine-in and takeaway. See the website for more information on food offerings and trading hours.
Advocates of live music have opened a petition to save Selina’s from demolition after the owner of Coogee Bay Hotel, the home of the iconic venue, announced plans for a massive redevelopment.
Chris Cheung, the owner, said that they do not have plans to rebuild Selina’s in the refurbishment. Instead, the venue will be knocked down and replaced with rows of shops, cafes, and a car park if the development application (DA/437/2021) is approved.
However, some Sydney locals are asking Mr Cheung to allocate space for Selina’s in the hotel’s multi-million dollar plans. Nearly 250 people have signed the petition as of press time.
“Some of the $112 million being put into this rebuild [could] be allocated to ensuring there is still a space for live music and culture to continue thriving in the East. Let’s keep the show going on.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Minister For Music And Nighttime Economy John Graham is also in favour of saving Selina’s, which has been around since the 1980s.
“Selina’s is the first test of getting this right or risking losing a Sydney music institution,” Mr Graham said.
“A stage which has hosted so much of Sydney and Australia’s music history – hosting Midnight Oil, Crowded House, the Angels and the Hoodoo Gurus as well as landmark international tours by the likes of Elton John and David Bowie – deserves to be preserved not just as a relic but as a living entertainment venue.”
He said that Coogee Bay Hotel must be granted a Special Entertainment Precincts (SEP) status to preserve the iconic stage. Recently, the NSW Government signed the Liquor Amendment Act 2020, covering incentives for live music venues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
In May 2021, Enmore Theatre and the strip of Enmore Road in the Inner West became the first Sydney venue to receive SEP status.
Meanwhile, a separate petition was also created to object to the redevelopment plans of the Coogee Bay Hotel. Over 6,500 supported calls for Randwick City Council to turn down the application because this will “change the low-scale, low-key look and feel of the Coogee village centre forever.”
Months following the completion of its building upgrades, the Coogee Surf Lifesaving Club can now add another honour to its name, after receiving recognition for its improved accessibility at an international awards ceremony held in Germany.
The IPC IAKS Award, which is given out every two years, acknowledges sports and leisure facilities with commendable architectural structures and designs that offer all people the opportunity to practise or view sport freely and without barriers.
Allen Jack+Cottier Architects designed and conceptualised a remote surf patrol window overlooking the Coogee beach so people of all abilities would be able to join and contribute to the rescues and safety operations of the Coogee SLSC. The upgraded building was also spruced up with a modernised interior and layout, allowing people with mobility devices to easily navigate the building for the first time.
Photo Credit: Randwick CC
“It allows us to reimagine what the iconic Australian lifesaver looks like,” Tony Waller, the Club Governor of the Coogee Surf Lifesaving Club, said.
Coogee Surf Lifesaving Club was one of 86 contenders from countries like Canada, Japan, Montenegro, Peru, Syria, and the USA.
Other winners from Australia were COX Architecture for both the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne (Silver Award) and the Ken Rosewall Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park (Distinction). COX Architecture alongside Counterpoint Architecture was also recognised for the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville (Distinction).
